Self-preserving acid milk product and process of making the same.



: the butter manufacturer. .Many attempts UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM r. m. cannon, or nvanscron, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'ro BEB'IHA n. cannon,

or Lnvooms, mzaasxn.

SELF PBESEBVIN'G ACID PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAKE- No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. M.- GRnLcK, a citizen of the United-States, re-- siding at the city of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Preserving Acid Milk Products and Processes of -Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to the production of food products from which has, beenv poured, and especially from buttermilk from wk lCh the fats have beentaken, and which therefore is practically a waste product of have been made in the past to utilize in portable and convenientform this great source a? food material, but. until now no practical means of producing a wholesome, edible product has been discovered.

In order that the difficulties to be met my be understood as well as the means by which I have succeeded in overcoming them, l'will say briefly: Normal milk, even when culled sweet has an acid reaction. The acidity thereof increases with .keeping, as

the result of the formation of lacticacid,

Allowing the development therein of lactic ocidjbacillia change which is facilitated in moderate heat. a When thezlactic acid amounts to about of one percent. in volume, thecasein begins precipitated, an actionwhich proceeds'niore rapidly as the temperature is raised to moderate but not sterilizing heat. In the first steps of separation the casein appears as a slight flocculent precipitate. As the precipitation continues a soft gelatinous mass or curd is formed, the consistency of which gradually increases while it retains the same general characteristics, until a temperature of about 120 degrees Fahn, is reached,'-when the character of 'the mass undergoes. a radical change. The physical change is marked, and this is probably due to an extensive chemical change as well. It is not to be understood that the changes stated .occur in a fixed, definite and unvarying manner.- They vary according to the amount of acidity in the milk, the temperature at which and the length of time during which heat is applied; and perhaps with local atmospheric condi} tions. But", and subject to special variations, the foregoing sets out the general changes which take place while milk is passing from Specification of Letters Patent.

Application-filed lay 10,1915. Serial No. 27,022.

mineral salts may sired, but the'product is leftin solid, homo Patented June 19,

.a sweet condition to that at which is formed a-homogeneo'us insoluble curd of coagulated casein, precipitate.

' Owing to the conditionsstated, the sour milk products made or attempted have here tofore fallen into-two classes: In one class a highenough degree of heat is directly. ap-' phed to precipitate, coagulate, cook-and dry the casein. The milk albumen, .su ar andthus be. retaine if de-f geneous masses, which, from their character and size, resist the action of the gastric juices thereon. Moreover, the product is insoluble, except in 'the presence of weak alkalis or strong acids, neither of which conditions obtains in the normal processes of animal digestion. This material therefore. is not fit for food, but is only adapted for use in certain of, the mechanical industries. On. the other hand, the attempts which have been made to prepare acceptable food products have taken account of the refractory character of casein when coagulated in -.masses according to the nature thereof, and, have sought to. use the recipitatedjcasein, stoppingshort of the cat necessary to coagulate or to cook it. And the heat actually used {therefore was not sufficient tosterilize or pasteurize the material. The result has been a raw unstable product, in which" the action of lactic and other-bacilli is continuous and which is comparatively'unfit for food consumption. And when the whey is withdrawn from the mass before drying, as is usuallydone when these methods are followed, the milk albumin, milk sugar and mineral salts are in large jpart lost. The attempt has been made toovercome the coagulation of-the casein in large masses by introducing foreign matter, such aswheat flour, only with the result of adding an incongruous element without at taining the practical end of'anutritious and a -wholesome food. Moreover, these low temperature methods are slow, thereby unduly eveloping the acidity of the product-and t e expense of manufacture. It is. the object of my invention to produce a food product of definite acidity, to so treat the soured milk or buttermilk as to cause the casein to precipitate and finall be fixed in very finely separated nona herent particles, toalso. coagulate the albumin and preserve it, together with the milk be precipitated. The kettle should also be a'wholesome and readily digested food. It-

can moreover be made so economically and in such quantities as to be available for.

feeding to poultry and the lower animals.

In the practice of my invention, I prefer to have about of one per cent. of lactic" acid in the buttermilk developed at the no1=- mal temperature thereof. I then apply heat to produce rapidpre'cipitation followed by.

fixation of the casein before any appreciably greater production oflactic acid takes place.v Such heat is preferably applied in a'steam i or water jacketed kettle, in which the temperature may be accurately gaged, bringing the milk gradually to a temperature of about 140 degrees Fahr. This temperature with the named percentage of lactic acid causes the casein in the presence thereof to provided with paddles or any other means "for rapidly andthoroughly stirring the fluid.

In my process, therefore, as soon as the temperature begins to rise I violently agi tate the mixture by the paddles or other other like particles.

' The means provided. As a result of the developing flocculentparticles of precipitating casein have no opportunity-to coalesce. Each particle follows its normal law of development' and becomes separated from the other particles in a completely fixed or hardened condition, in which it will not adhere to Instead, therefore, of a. homogeneous curd I have an infinite number of separately formed non-adherent particles in suspension in the whey.

rocess should .be so timed that a pasteurlzing or sterilizing temperature shall be maintained lon germs and particu arly the lactic acid bacilli, thereby limiting the further production of lactic acid. I

One object of my invention is'attained at; this point. The material is sterilized so that it no longer contains the germs which will produce further changes, and particularly 7 those germs which will form lactic acid. But the heat sufficient to produce this condition and which ordinarily would have left the casein in the form of a continuous in-- .In forming a condensed product furthersteps may be taken as follows: The termss perature of the milk in the condition deenough todestroy all scribed should now be raised to. 172 degrees or more F ahr., at which the milk albumm will be coagulated, and remain in suspension'in the whey. The object of coagulatin the albumin is not .only .to conserve this va uabl'e constituent of the milk, but to'put the same incon'd-ition that it will not' adhere to the utensils used in the-further steps of the process. f w

After coagulation of-the albumin, I con-- duct the fluid evaporating-pans, un-

which the water ofsolution is expelled in va'cuo until the resulting productis reduced toabout in. volume-of the original v milk. It then consists of extremelysmall non-adherent particles of precipitated case n with which are mingled the other solidcon stituents of the treated-milk, andthe lactic acid formed prior to'that point inithe' process' at which. sterilization took-place. -It

should be of a smooth and uniiorm consistency, 'and the constituent particles. are

in-such. condition that, upon the addition'of wateij.- they -will be separated and remain in complete suspension andpractic'ally reproduce-the milk originally treated. The said product, sterilized, is further made self-preserving against fermentation by the lactic acid which-it contains, amounting to from 3'to 3% per cent. By reason of the 5 .and'-then mechanicallyv reduced to small particles. Itfimay be usedgas a food material either inthe moist or .-dry condition or ,by

the-further addition of waterto either form.

But whether the product is left in the moist state or whether it is'eva'porated to dryness, the product and the process of preparing it are equally within the scope of my invention.

-1. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein by the agency ofheat and simultaneously agitating the ,precipi of finely divided 'non;adherent particles.

2. The process ofjproducing a food prodnot from soured milk which consists in pre cipitating the casein by the agency ofheat, simultaneously agitating the precipitate to keep the particles thereof out of continuous contact, and then increasing the heat to fix the said particles-in finely divided non-adherent form.

3. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein by the agency of heat, agitating the precipitate while forming tokeep the particles thereof out of continuous 'tate whereby the casein is in the form contact, and then lncreasin the heat fix the said particles in finely divi ed non-adherent form and sterilize the mass.

4:. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein, agitating the precipitate to keep the particles thereof out-of continuous contact and fix the said particles in finely divided non-adherent form and then evaporating the surplus-fluid.

5. The process of producinga food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein by the agency of heat, agitating the precipitate, heating the precipitated particles during agitation until they become non-adherent and then evaporating the surplus fluid.

6. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein by the aid of heat, agitating the precipitate while forming whereby the particles of casein are kept out of continuous contact and fixed so as to become non-adherent, and then evaporating the surplus fluid.

7. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in precipitating the casein by the aid of heat, agitating the precipitate whereby the partic es thereof are kept out of continuous contact and fixed so as to become non-adherent, coagulating the milk albumin, and then evaporatin the surplus fluid.

8. The process of producing a food product from soured milk which consists in heating the milk to precipitate the casein, simultaneously agitating the milk to cause the precipitating casein to retain the form of minute discontinuous particles, increasing the heat to fix the said particles in discontinuous non-adherent form and to sterilize the mass, increasing the heat to coagulate the milk albumin, and then evaporating the surplus fluid.

9. The process of making an acid milk product which consists in developing in milk sulficient acidity to cause the casein to be precipitated, raising the same to suflicient temperature to sterilize it and fix the casein, agitatin the milk while being so heated, coagulating the albumin thereof, and evaporating the surplus fluid.

10. An acid milk-food product having a casein content in the form of minute precipitated, fixed, discontinuous,.non-adherent particles. 1 p

11. An acid milk food product having a casein content in the form of minute precipitated, fixed, discontinuous, non-adherent particles, and containing a preservative quantity of lactic acid.

12. A sterilized acid milk food product having the casein thereof in minute precipi tated, fixed, discontinuous, non-adherent particles.

13. An acid milk food product having a casein content in the form of minute, precipitated, fixed, discontinuous particles which are non-adherent in the presence of a substantially normal quantity of water.

14. The process of making an acid milk product whlch consists in developing in milk sufiicient acidity to cause the casein to be precipitated, raising the same to suificient temperature to sterilize it and fix the casein, and agitating the milk while being so heated.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 22nd day of April,

WILLIAM P. M. GRELCK. Witnesses:

C. K. CHAMBERLAIN, A. S. PHILLIPS.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1,230,479.

It is hon-by ('ertified that in Letters Patent No. l,23l), l7'.l, granted June 19, 1917, upon the application of William I. M. Grok-k, of Evnnston, Illinois; for llll improvement, in Self-Preserving Acid Milk Products and Processes of Making the L Smne," errors appear in the printed specification rrquiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 33, strike out the word of same page, line 60. for the wunl pro- & ducn rcml product; same page, line 116, claim 1, for the word mixed read fixed; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these. corrections therein that. the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflioe.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of September, A. D., 1917.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Palm.

[man] V DISCLAIMER. 'i'

t,230,479. WILL-1AM P. n. v Evanston. Ill. Sell-Preserving Acid Milk Product and {inhess of Mhking the Same. Patent dated June 19, 1917.

Disclaimer filed February 3, 1928, by the assignee by mesne assignments, PATEET QQ MPKNY, with approval of licensee, CONSOL- IDAWD PRQI IUGTS GO. i Hereby disclaim all mgt fei described in lines 100 to H0 of page 2 of the specification-,- which paragt iph is hereby cancelled; from the scope of claims 1. 2, 3, and l iggmly and "from" no other claims any process for producing a food product substantially wholly of buttermilk, and from the scope of claims 10, 11, ,12 any tout! product except concentrated moist products, and from the scope of claim 13 any food product consisting substantially wholly of the constituents of buttermilk.

(Official Gazette February 21, 1928.) 

